It has heretofore been suggested that one piece plastic louvers or windows can be provided by vacuum forming plastic so that a peripheral wall of the product circumscribes the louver or window and a laterally extending flange serves as a means for attachment to the wall of the building. It is common to use a J-channel in abutment with such a product to overlie the free edges of siding that abut the product. It has also been suggested that an integral channel be provided for receiving the siding.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,318, there is disclosed a plastic building product for placement on the wall of a building to provide a louver or window wherein siding abuts the product comprising a plastic body having a peripheral wall circumscribing the louver or window, an integral flange extending laterally from the wall for fastening the body to the wall of a building, and a movable flange member telescoped over the peripheral wall of the body and including a laterally extending flange which is adapted to overlie portions of abutting siding or the like. The flange member and the peripheral wall include interengaging means for selectively positioning the flange member at predetermined distances with respect to the flange on the body to accommodate siding of varying thickness.
In such a building product incorporating louvers, when the product is made in injection molds, in order to facilitate formation of the apices of the louvers, each louver has an apex and side walls and the side walls are at an angle to perpendicular axes. In such a construction, openings in one of the side walls can permit viewing of the raw or uncovered wall of the building. It is conventional in such a construction to place the screen on the peripheral flange in order to prevent insects and the like from entering the building.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a plastic gable vent which obviates the objections inherent in the aforementioned gable vent wherein a person viewing the gable vent at a particular angle may see the raw inside wall of the building; wherein the gable vent minimizes the passage of blowing rain and snow through the vent; wherein the gable vent prevents the entry of inserts such as wasps and bees; wherein the resultant gable vent provides a more aesthetic appearance; and wherein the gable vent requires a much lesser amount of screen material thereby reducing the costs.
In accordance with the invention, a plastic gable vent for placement on the wall of a building to provide a louver wherein siding abuts the gable vent comprises a plastic body having a front wall and a peripheral wall circumscribing the front wall. A plurality of integral in longitudinal spaced louvers are provided on the front wall. Each louver includes an inwardly extending apex with side walls, one of which has a slot therein. The plastic body further includes an inner peripheral wall that circumscribes the louvers. A flat sheet is attached on the plastic body and overlies the inwardly extending apices. The screen is opaque and formed with vertically spaced slots when mounted on the inner peripheral wall, opaque portions engage the inner apices of the louvers, and the slots are positioned such that they are spaced transversely from the walls that have the openings therein. A screen overlies the flat sheet. A movable flange member is telescoped over the peripheral wall of the body and includes a laterally extending flange adapted to overlie portions of abutting siding or the like. The flange member and the outer peripheral wall include interengaging portions for selectively positioning the flange member. The plastic body includes a laterally extending flange for mounting the plastic body on the wall of a building.